Pulled the trigger yesterday and bought The Dark Forest. Ran out of podcasts. The 10 hour drive is because I'm moving to DC so I'm packing and cleaning and going through audio content really quickly. Who knows I might need to pick up the scalzi before I leave to make it through the drive.

A couple hours into The Dark Forest and I'm enjoying it. I think as much as the hard sci-fi content I really enjoy trying to analyze how Chinese culture (historic and modern day) influences the structure of the story. It makes it harder to follow but also more rewarding when I feel like it's fitting into place.

The Chinese names though - ugh. I'm terrible with remembering names I'm exposed to on a regular basis I feel like I need a reference sheet for the Chinese characters. Thankfully context is usually sufficient.

The Chinese names though - ugh. I'm terrible with remembering names I'm exposed to on a regular basis I feel like I need a reference sheet for the Chinese characters. Thankfully context is usually sufficient.

That is where the eBook was handy. It had a list of characters and their 'job/connection to other characters' at the front of the book.

I'm slowly working my way through Julian May's Saga of the Exiles for the first time again in too many years. Planning to follow through with the Milieu saga as well.

I love that series. I first read it when it came out in the early 80s.It was over 30 years after I read it before I realised Julian May was a woman. Not that it mattered, but I'd always assumed Julian was only a male name.

Some great sci-fi series came out around the same time. Another favourite was the Helliconia series (Helliconia Spring, Helliconia Summer & Helliconia Winter) I re-read that not long ago. It's still as good as when I read it 30+ years ago.

The best new sci-fi series I have read is "The Lady Astronaut series" by Mary Robinette Kowal"The Calculating Stars" will be the Hugo winner this year (along with many other awards). But I think it was surpassed by the sequel "The Fated Sky"Both are 5 Star books.

Silly sci-fi people, book 4 of Dune is where things finally start to get interesting.

In all seriousness, God Emperor of Dune is probably the least enjoyable one to read, but it's also where Herbert really sinks his teeth into the nature of tyrants, religion, and rebellion. I think the 5th book of the series (which tends to have more action and more endearing characters) is better specifically because you see how Arakkis and the political factions that control it were shaped by Leto's reign. Chapterhouse Dune on the other hand really does start to drag by the end, with all of the philosophical musings of God Emperor but no ultimate payoff.

In a similar vein, I'm almost through the first Mars book by Kim Stanley Robinson. Looking at other reviews I'm bewildered that many readers seem to gush over the hard sci-fi and technological speculation, but are bored with the character development and politics of colonizing Mars. I can only take about 20 pages droning on about how to control CO2 levels or which bacteria can survive in Martian soil before I start falling asleep.

In a similar vein, I'm almost through the first Mars book by Kim Stanley Robinson. Looking at other reviews I'm bewildered that many readers seem to gush over the hard sci-fi and technological speculation, but are bored with the character development and politics of colonizing Mars. I can only take about 20 pages droning on about how to control CO2 levels or which bacteria can survive in Martian soil before I start falling asleep.

In a similar vein, I'm almost through the first Mars book by Kim Stanley Robinson. Looking at other reviews I'm bewildered that many readers seem to gush over the hard sci-fi and technological speculation, but are bored with the character development and politics of colonizing Mars. I can only take about 20 pages droning on about how to control CO2 levels or which bacteria can survive in Martian soil before I start falling asleep.

Never was able to get past about 40 pages of that one. Tried twice.

Things don't really start to take shape until about a third of the way in. I had to alternate reading another book.

It's been a long time, but The Gap series by Donaldson is one of my personal favourites. Unlike all his other works, it starts like a rocket. The characters are so deeply human it might be classified as a horror series.

So somehow I missed Hyperion when it came out (I was in my prime "read all the things" phase then, no idea how it got by me). Wow, it is so good. 2/3 through the sequel right now, already filled up my Google Play balance to buy the next one when I'm done.

So somehow I missed Hyperion when it came out (I was in my prime "read all the things" phase then, no idea how it got by me). Wow, it is so good. 2/3 through the sequel right now, already filled up my Google Play balance to buy the next one when I'm done.

It remains my favorite science fiction series to this day. I found the forced John Keats portions a little tiresome at times but it's a small critique. I'm probably in the minority but I enjoyed the Endymion half of the series (books 3 and 4) the most.